Welcome to Mum&sons

My two eldest boys challenged me to start a cooking blog with simple recipes that we can cook together - and my youngest one has now joined in. I am hoping they pick up some cooking and photograph skills... or that at least they learn to design and run a blog.

In the past, during Lent time many Spanish families used to each chickpeas on Fridays. Now we still eat it sometimes more out of tradition than religion. The best known recipes are with spinach and or salt cod (you can find the recipe here http://www.mumandsons.com/2015/04/easter-chickpea-and-spinach-soup.html) but my grandma used to make chickpeas with egg (basically because she had often had a surplus of eggs in her farm).

You need:
- one and a half onions (chopped very thinly)
- a tomato ( grated)
- a clove of garlic ( minced)
-olive oil - three tablespoons
-200 gr chickpeas
- 2 more cloves of garlic
- handful of parsley
- 15 almonds (blanched)
- a teaspoon of sweet paprika
- a bay leaf
- salt
- water (this should be cold water - if you boil the water first the chickpeas will 'get scared', as they say in Spain, and as a result they will contract and be hard, no matter how long you boil them)
- 3 eggs

The night before you are going to make this put the chickpeas in cold water and let them soak overnight. I have prepare this recipe with chickpeas from one of my aunts, Loli. They are a real delicacy - so tender than you do not even need to soak them. But difficult to get chickpeas of this quality in the supermarket.

Put the olive oil in a pan, bring it to medium heat, add the onions, tomato and garlic, lower the heat, add the paprika and bay leaf and let it all fry for 10 minutes until it gets mellow. Then add the chickpeas, cover with cold water (there should be three centimetres of water over the chickpeas more or less) and let it all simmer for 1.30 to 1.40 hours.

Meanwhile boil the eggs. Take them off the shells and cut them in little bits (the easiest way to do this is with teh back of a fork).

Toast the almonds by putting them on a pan over medium heat for a minute or so.

Out the almonds, parsley and clove of garlic in a mortar and crush it all with the pestle (you can put a bit of salt so that it is easier to mash it all)

When the chickpeas are ready add the minced eggs and also the almond, parsley and garlic mixture to the chickpeas pan. Correct the salt if needed (chickpeas often require more salt than you think). Stir it all well, let it rest (off the fire) for five to ten minutes and serve.

I am rushing this week - plus ca change!- and will not have time to post any new recipes until the weekend, as usual. But wanted to show you today this great video that Mullenlowe has done with Inspiring Girls for International Women's Day as part of the RedrawtheBalance campaign. Animation is about the first TV that kids watch and it shapes their views. Time for animation companies to think a bit more carefully about redrawing the balance - and also to get more female animators there.

I also leave you some pictures of the launch of the Inspiring Girls in Brussels with a wonderful group of girls and volunteers, and also the President of the Parliament Antonio Tajani and the EU Ombudsman Emily O'Reilly, all hosted by MEP Beatriz Becerra, one of the most committed champions of Inspiring Girls. In addition to Inspiring Women in the UK run by the Education and Employers Task Force, Inspiring Girls is now in 3 more countries - and Italy coming next at the end of April!